Fire-extinguishing apparatus.



PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

W. R. JOHNSTON. FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 7, 1905.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

WALTER R. JOHNSTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE WALTER R. JOHNSTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24;, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER R. JOHNSTON,

a citizen of the United States, and residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguishing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to apparatus for use in extinguishing fires, and the object thereof is to provide an improved portable apparatus of this class which will be capable of holding a suitable chemical compound for use in extinguishing fires and which may be used in different ways by means of my improved apparatus.

My improved fire apparatus involves a bucket of novel construction, and provided with a cover, part of which is hinged or movable, said'bucket being designed to hold the chemical compound employed and the movable or hinged part of the cover being provided with means whereby it may be sealed when closed, said movable or hinged'part of the cover being also provided with means for suspending a dipper within the bucket and said bucket being also provided with a supplemental fire extinguisher of the syringe type which is placed loosely therein and may be removed therefrom, when desired, for use.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the bucket which contributes the main part of my improved fire apparatus and showing the dipper suspended therein and showing also the supplemental fire extinguisher in section; and, Fig. 2 a plan view of that part of the bucket with which the movable or hinged part of the cover is connected, and showing v the said movable or hinged part of the cover in araised position, the dipperbeing removed and the supplemental fire extinguisher being indicated in dotted lines.

In the practice of my invention, I provide a bucket (1 having a stationary cover or top member a which covers about half of the bucket, and -a movable cover member I) which covers the remaining half of the bucket and which, in the construction shown is hinged centrally and transversely of the top of the bucket and in a line extending between the ears (1 with which the bail a? is connected.

That part of the top of the bucket which is closed by the movable cover 5 is provided with a stationary top member 0 having an opening a which is substantially semicircular in form, whereby triangular side top members 0 are formed which partially close that half of the top of the bucket which is fully closed by the movable cover I) when the latter is in use.

\ The movable cover b is secured in place by a hinge rod d around which the corresponding edge of the movable cover 5 is folded, and the said fold and the rod (1 fit in a transverse groove d in the corresponding edge of the stationary part a of the cover of the bucket, and around the semi-circular opening which is closed by the movable cover I), when the latter is in use, is a groove 0, and the movable cover I) is provided with a flange b which fits in the groove 0 when the cover is closed, and the grooves c and d are in communication and the flange b and the rod (2 together with the folded edge of the movable cover I) on said rod partially fillsaid grooves, and in the operation of sealing the movable cover I) the said grooves are filled with paraffin, wax, or any other suitable material and the movable cover 6 is closed, The movable cover I) is also provided around near its outer edges with an inwardly directed flange b and around the opening 0 is a groove 0 in which the flange 6 fits, and in the operation of sealing the movable cover I) the groove 0 is also filled with araflin, wax, or any other suitable material when the movable part b of the cover is closed, and by means of this construction, I provide for the perfect sealing of the bucket'after the chemical compound has been placed therein.

Secured to the underside of the movable part b of the cover of the bucket is a hook e which is intended to support, within the bucket, an ordinary dipper 6 and I also place in the bucket a supplemental fire extinguisher f of the syringe type, and which comprises a hollow cylinder f one end of which is conical in form as shown at f and provided with a discharge spout f, and the its perimeter, or

' opposite end of which is closed by a cap f having a large central opening f closed by a supplemental cap f Around the opening 6 is a threaded flange or rim and the cap f is provided with a corresponding flange or rim, and arranged concentrically around the opening f is a supplemental flange f which forms an annular groove f around the flange or rim of the cap f 7 when the latter is screwed on, and in practice, the groove f 9 is filled with paraffin, wax, or other suitable material when the cap f is screwed into position in order to provide a seal at this oint.

The cap f 5 is connected with the end of the cylinder f at g by solder, and the conical end f is connected at the opposite end of said cylinder at g by solder, and within the cylinder f is placed a combination piston valve h provided with a rod k which passes outwardly through a stuffing box or other suitable packing device 7L3 placed centrally in the supplemental cap f and said rod is provided with a handle It The combination piston valve it comprises a piston proper which is composed of two plates i between which is secured a rubber disk 71 and arranged concentrically around the center of the piston are ports or passages i and secured to the outer side of the piston is a flexible valve member 1 which is of such diameter as to normally close the ports or passages i and said flexible valve member is preferably composed of rubber but may be composed of any suitable material as may also the central part i of the piston, and the valve member i may be held on the piston rod 71 by means of a nut i or by solder, or in any preferred way, and in practice, the piston composed of the parts i and '1? is so formed as to closely fit the inner walls of the cylinder f, the central part thereof forming a acking for this purpose, and the valve memer 4, of the said piston is preferably of slightly less diameter than the inner diameter of the cylinder.

Secured to the top portion of the bucket a is a spring clamp which may be forced backwardly in the operation of closing the movable part b of the cover, and which will engage the rim thereof and securely hold said movable part of the cover in a closed and sealed position, but when it is desired to use the apparatus, the movable part b of the cover may be disconnected from the clamp j and raised by pulling on a hook-shaped handle member connected therewith.

The stationary part a of the cover of bucket is also provided with an opening it having a threaded flange or rim and closed by a cap k having a corresponding threaded flange or rim, and the opening 7: is intended as means for testing the contents of the bucket without breaking the seal by opening the movable part b of the cover, and the opening 7:? may also be sealed if desired in the the same manner as the movable part b of the cover or in the same manner as the supplemental cap f of the supplemental fire extinguisher f.

The chemical compound used in my improved fire extinguisher is the same as that used in what is known as thefLittle Giant fire extinguisher, and this compound is such that only a small quantity need be used, small amounts thereof being sufficient to put out an ordinary fire at the start, said compound expanding into a gas of many times the volume of the compound when thrown into the fire, which gas extinguishes the fire.

The chemical compound which I employ will not injure the hands, or the garments, or any textile fabrics with which it comes in contact, and in practice, if a fire has gained considerable headway in a room or other compartment, the movable part b of the cover is raised, the supplemental fire extinguisher is removed from the bucket as is also the dipper c and by grasping the bail a in one hand and the bottom rim g of the bucket udth the other hand, a portion of the contents of the bucket may be thrown through the opening 0 into the fire, and in this way the contents of the bucket or a part thereof may be discharged or thrown to a considerable distance, and the object of providing the opening (3 with the stationary top portions 0 at the sides thereof is to prevent the discharge of all the contents of the bucket at a single throw, or at a single operation, and by a little practice an operator may learn to discharge almost any desired amount of the contents of the bucket through the opening 0 and it will be understood that the opening 0 may be made of any desired size.

in practice the supplemental fire extinguisher f which is kept in the bucket, is kept filled with the chemical compound, this filling being accomplished by removing the supplemental cap f 7 and after the cylinder f 2 is filled the cap f is screwed into position, and in order to use this device it is taken out of the bucket and the cylinder f is held in one hand, and the piston device 72, is manipulated by means of the rod 7L2 which passes out through the supplemental cap In this operation the piston is drawn through the cap f and in this operation a part of the contents of the cylinder f is forced outwardly through the ports or passages "L and around the perimeter of the valve i which yields, as will be understood, to allow the contents of the cylinder or a part thereof to pass through the ports or passages 43. The piston device h is then forced forwardly and the chemical compound which is passed through said piston as above de scribed is forced out through the discharge spout f this operation being similar to that of an ordinary syringe, and in this way the chemical compound may be thrown to a considerable distance.

The supplemental fire extinguisher f differs from what is known as the Little Giant fire extinguisher in the fact that the piston rod 7L passes through the removable supplemental cap f and when the contents of the cylinder f has been exhausted the said cap f 7 may be removed and the cylinder may be refilled and again used, and the operation of refilling the cylinder f 2 may be performed by means of the dipper e The said dipper 6 may also be used for throwing the chemical compound onto a fire, and this is the principal use for which said dipper is intended. The supplemental fire extinguisher f also differs from others of its class in that it is not sealed, the sealing of the device being unnecessary by reason of the fact that it is. kept at all times in the bucket a which is sealed when not in use.

The supplemental fire extinguisher f is not specifically claimed in this application but is made the subject of a separate application filed by me of equal date herewith.

It will be apparent that the bucket a constructed as herein shown and described, may be used as a fire extinguisher in itself, or it may be used in connection with the dipper e and with the supplemental fire extinguisher f, and in this way I provide three difl' erent means for using the chemical compound which I employ. The amount of chemical compound kept on hand and ready for use, will depend, as will be understood, on the size of thebucket (1.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: a

1. I11 a fire extinguishing apparatus, a bucket adapted to hold a chemical compound and provided with a stationary cover having at one side of the bucket and flush therewith an opening around which,

is a plurality of grooves designed to contain a sealing material, and a cover for said open ings provided with a plurality of flanges adapted to enter said grooves.

2. I11 a fire extinguishing apparatus, a bucket adapted to hold a chemical compound and provided with a stationary cover having at one side of the bucket and flush therewith an opening provided with ahinged .0 enin ada ted to contain a sealin material, and said cover being provided with a plurality of flanges adapted to enter said grooves, and means for holding said cover in a closed position.

4. In a fire extinguishing apparatus, a buckehadapted to hold a chemical compound and. provided with a stationary cover having at one side and flush therewith an opening around which is a plurality of grooves designed to contain a sealing material, said opening being provided with a cover having a plurality of flanges adapted to enter said grooves, and supplemental fire extinguishing devices adapted to be inserted into said bucket and removed therefrom through said opening and to be used in throwing a fire extinguishing liquid.

5. In a fire extinguishing apparatus, a bucket adapted to hold a chemical compound and provided with a stationary cover having at one-side of the bucket and flush therewith an opening around which is a plurality of grooves designed to contain a sealing material, said opening being provided with a hinged cover having a plurality of flanges adapted to enter said grooves,

and supplemental fire extinguishing devices adapted to be inserted into said bucket and removed therefrom through said opening and to be used in throwing a fire extinguishing liquid, the cover of the bucket being also provided with a test opening and means for closing the same.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 6th day of December, 1905.

WALTER R. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses:

C. E. MULREANY, F. A. STEWART. 

